1. Area of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus used to temporarily attach one object to another, for example, one piece of luggage to another. More specifically, the present invention relates to attachment apparatus wherein the attachment is made by sliding one portion of the apparatus into another portion of the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One technique which the prior art has used to temporarily attach a first object to a second object is to provide a channel for one of the objects and a form which may be slid into the channel for the second object and to then attach the first object to the second object by sliding the form into the channel. A primary consideration in applying this technique is how lateral motion of the objects relative to each other may be prevented once the two objects have been joined. Typical solutions to the problem have been blocking the channel by means of screws or pins, inserting pins through both the channel and the form, or using friction means such as a set screw to hold the form in the channel.
While these and related solutions have served to prevent lateral motion of the attached objects, the solutions are themselves not without problems. First, any solution which uses small parts such as screws or pins will have to deal with the tendency of such parts to get lost or fall out at unexpected times. Second, solutions using friction means do not positively prevent slippage and the objects may come apart if they are handled particularly roughly. Moreover, as the friction means age, they will tend to provide less resistance to slippage. Third, any solution such as a pin passing through both the channel and the form which requires precise alignment of the first object with the second object will greatly increase the difficulty of attaching the objects to each other.
As will be explained in more detail below, the present invention is intended to solve the above-described problems of the prior art. It does so by providing attachment apparatus wherein the attachment is achieved slidably, but means are provided which positively prevent lateral motion of the objects relative to each other without the use of small parts and without the need for precise location of one of the objects relative to the other.